RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Monthly E-zine 8 October 2008, Vol. 11, No. 20 (c) 1998-2008 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ * * * Having trouble reading this newsletter? The online version is available at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2008/1008.txt * * * ROOTSWEB HELPDESK: Check here for frequently asked questions about RootsWeb: http://rootsweb.custhelp.com * * * ROOTSWEB NEWSROOM: Check here for the latest RootsWeb news: http://blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom/ * * * ROOTSWEB STORE: Check here for the latest in genealogy books, software, photos, and more: http://www.therootswebstore.com/ * * * ROOTSWEB SPOTLIGHT: Know someone who has gone above and beyond in the service of RootsWeb? Nominate them for recognition on our Volunteer Spotlight page: http://bigfile.rootsweb.com/vols/ * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ARCHIVES: Check here for previous editions: http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Using RootsWeb Census Records-For Demographics or Genealogy? 2. Genealogy Tip Tagging Photographs 3. Connecting My Udell Family 4. Bottomless Mailbag: Readers Write In A Message Board Success Backing Up the Old Way Sad Census Musings 5. What's New: Databases, Freepages, and Mailing Lists 5a. New User-contributed Databases 5b. New/Updated Freepages by Individuals 5c. New/Updated Freepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies 5d. New Mailing Lists 6. You Found It 7. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, and Reprints ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Using RootsWeb Census Records-For Demographics or Genealogy? By Mary Harrell-Sesniak maryh@volunteer.rootsweb.com "Genealogy is not just a pastime: it's a passion." Don't be fooled by thinking U.S. federal census records were created for family historians--their original purpose was for demographics. Genealogists use them now, but knowing their original purpose and knowing the questions asked and notations used can keep you from being misled. For instance, what does "UN" or "UA" indicate regarding military service? Unknown or Unavailable? No--it indicates service with the Union Navy or Army, and that can make a world of difference. Questions changed from decade to decade. Some items were dropped and others manipulated to unearth new details. Here is some guidance to get you started. Marital Status or Civil Condition Early on, newlyweds were the only ones whose length of marriage was recorded, and the only year the month of marriage was asked was 1870. By 1880, divorces, widowhood, and single status were included. From 1900-1910, the number of years a couple had been married was enumerated, but in 1920 this was eliminated. Strangely, in 1930, the enumerator determined the age when a person had first married. That's quite a different issue, and it didn't matter if one was on a second or third marriage--the enumerator just recorded the age at first marriage. So what was the point? From a demographic standpoint, as more women worked or attended college, they were less likely to marry high school sweethearts! Luckily some records show M1 or M2, indicating first or second marriage. Information enumerated, by census year and column number: - 1850 and 1860. Columns 10 and 11, respectively: Whether married within the year - 1870. Column14: If married within the year, the month (Jan., etc.) - 1880. Column 9: Civil Condition Single; Column 10: Civil Condition Married; Column 11: Civil Condition Widowed, Divorced; Column 12: Whether married during the census year - 1890. Column 7: Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced; Column 8: Whether married during the census year (June 1, 1889, to May 31, 1890) - 1900. Column 9: Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced; Column 10: Number of years of present marriage - 1910. Column 8: Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced; Column 9: Number of years of present marriage - 1920. Column 12: Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced - 1930. Column 14: Marital condition; Column 15: Age at first marriage Military Some abbreviations you will see relating to military information include "UN" for Union Navy; "UA" for Union Army; "CA" for Confederate Army; "CN" for Confederate Navy; "CW" for Civil War; "SP" for Spanish American War; and "WW" for World War I. In 1910, column 30 recorded whether someone was a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy. In 1920, the question wasn't posed, but in 1930, column 30 noted veterans of the U.S. military or naval forces mobilized for any war or expedition (with a Y or N), and column 31 indicated the war / expedition. Interestingly, a number of Civil War veterans survived, along with veterans of the Spanish American War and the Great War. In addition, in 1890 a special census was enumerated to assist with pension requests granted to veterans or widows. Only those with disabilities were eligible, and it didn't include confederates. Much of this special census schedule is missing--only records from Kentucky and Wyoming remain. However, if you are lucky enough to have an ancestor recorded, there are a number of important items included: Information enumerated, by column number: - Columns 1and 2: The house and family number - Column 3: Name of surviving soldiers, marines, and widows - Columns 4 and 5: Rank and Company - Column 6: Name of regiment or vessel - Columns 7 and 8: Date of enlistment and discharge - Column 9: Length of service - Column 10: Post office address - Column 11: Disability incurred Citizenship and Naturalization Over the decades, questions were expanded from place of birth to information about parents and native languages. Information enumerated, by census year and column number: - 1850. Column 9: Place of birth, naming the state, territory, or country - 1860. Column 10: Place of birth, naming the state, territory, or country - 1870. Column 10: Place of birth, naming the state, territory, or country; Columns 11 and 12: Parentage of father and mother of the foreign born; Column 19: Constitutional Relations--Male citizens of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards; Column 20: Male citizens of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards where right to vote is denied on other grounds than rebellion or other crimes - 1880. No related information enumerated - 1890. Column 33: Number of years in the U.S.; Column 14: Whether naturalized; Column 15: Whether naturalization papers have been taken out - 1900. Column 13: Place of birth of this person; Column 14: Father; Column 15: Mother; Column 16: Year of immigration to the U.S.; Column 17: Number of years in the U.S.; Column 18: Naturalization - 1910. Same as 1900, but recorded on Columns 12 through14; Column 15: Year of immigration to the U.S.; Column 16: Whether naturalized or alien - 1920. Column 13: Year of immigration to the United States; Column 14: Naturalized or alien; Column 15: If naturalized, year of naturalization; Columns 19 and 20: Place of birth/mother tongue of person; Columns 21 through 24: Father and mother - 1930. Columns 18 through 20: Place of birth of person, father, and mother; Column 21: Language spoken in home before coming to the United States; Column 22: Year of immigration to the U.S.; Column 23: Naturalized or alien; Column 24: Whether able to speak English In addition, census records often report addresses, literacy, occupations, and property values. Each decade was different, so do your research carefully. I recommend RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees Number 9 [http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lesson9.htm], which details the index system, official dates of enumeration, and pitfalls in interpreting and locating data. * * * * * * * * * * Advertisements * * * * * * * * * * Request a Search for Your Ancestors at the World's Largest Genealogical Library ANCESTOR SEEKERS researchers at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City will search this vast collection for your ancestors from the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Ireland, England, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and other European countries. Friendly service, affordable prices. For a no-obligation research assessment visit AncestorSeekers.com. Or join us February 22-27 for our Eleventh Salt Lake City Research Trip--the dream genealogy vacation! * * * * * * * * * * End of Advertisements * * * * * * * 2. Genealogy Tip Tagging Photographs By Mary Harrell-Sesniak maryh@volunteer.rootsweb.com "Genealogy is not just a pastime: it's a passion." There is no universal standard for organizing photos, so most people develop their own methods. But one idea is to use Windows Vista to apply tags. (Note: Windows XP does not have a tagging option, but you can add details and keywords to your photos.) My husband's family originated from Poland, so I give items from his collection the "Poland" tag. And photos pertaining to specific surnames or locations receive the appropriate surname and location tags as well. It doesn't matter where images are stored; you can use "Search" or "Find" to locate them. When you download pictures from your camera you'll be prompted to add tags, but you can always add them later if you chose not to then. To add a tag to a photograph in Windows Vista, go to the image's properties, either by right-clicking the name of the photograph, or by finding Properties from the File or Organize menu. Then proceed to Tags under the Details tab. Click in the field and enter your tag. If that doesn't work, press F2 and you should be able to proceed. Select Apply when through. (If you use Windows XP, right-click the name of the photograph and click "Properties," then "Summary" to add some details and keywords.) [http://c.ancestry.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/10032008/details.jpg] Add a tag to a picture in Windows Vista by going to the "Details" tab in the "Properties" box. [http://c.ancestry.com/email/newsletters/rootswebreview/10032008/summary.jpg] Add details to a picture in Windows XP by going to the "Summary" tab in the "Properties" box. In addition to tags, there are a number of useful attributes you can modify. My favorites are the author's name and the date the picture was acquired, but you can also designate the date a photo was taken or a copyright. And if you are wondering what resolution an image was taken at, you can see this plus a number of additional details. Windows Help has detailed instructions on tags, which may give you more ideas. 3. Connecting My Udell Family By Harriet Cobb Burch Last summer I received an e-mail from a woman named Pauline in Australia who said she had seen my query on a RootsWeb message board posted in 2000 and believed we were related. My birth name was Udell and her maiden name was also Udell. We exchanged information and pictures and determined that we were first cousins. I had found my birth family in England but didn't know when or how they arrived in the U.S.A. My Grandfather Udell immigrated to Australia. Later he and my birth mother came to the U.S.A., leaving two sons and an estranged wife in Australia. My cousin is the daughter of one of these sons. She gave me the missing information I wanted about my birth mother and her family. Thanks to RootsWeb I finally found all my roots. I was eighty years old when I got my computer and searched for the information that I received seven years later when Pauline saw my message. 4. Bottomless Mailbag: Readers Write In [Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the editor or of RootsWeb.com.] ------------------------------------------------------------- A Message Board Success I am happy to have the opportunity to tell the whole world how much I appreciate several people who took the time to come to my rescue. I have been looking for my son-in-law's family for years. His father died when he was young and he does not have any information from the family. Three people answered my plea and all went far beyond what I would ever have asked, to help me find records and to refer me to others who could help also. I am most grateful. Frances Muckelroy * * * Backing Up the Old Way There are many ways in which computer files can become inaccessible. A good backup is to print out important files. It only takes a pair of eyes to read printed matter. Woody Thomas Naples, New York * * * Sad Census Musings I was recently transcribing some old records that dealt with the buying and selling of young coloured children to slave owners in the Southern States of the U.S. I had difficulty transcribing these records as I thought of these poor children actually being sold for $25 each. Even more sad was that many had no known names, only a number. Bob Rubie Witham, Essex UK 5. What's New: Databases, Freepages, and Mailing Lists 5a. New User-contributed Databases at RootsWeb http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Ireland, Dublin South. Kennedy Births, Dublin, Ireland, 1882-1886, 200+ records. Contributed by Colette O'Rorke. 5b. New/Updated Freepages by Individuals To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- If you have a new or substantially revised freepage at RootsWeb and would like to see it mentioned here, send the URL, the title, and a BRIEF description, including major surnames, to Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com. * * * If your genealogy- or history-related site is located somewhere other than RootsWeb, you can add the link to RootsWeb here: http://resources.rootsweb.com/~rootslink/addlink.html * * * "Sherring and Parry Families," a website dealing with the Sherrings in Somerset and Dorset, England, and NSW, Australia. This website also deals with the Parry family from London, England, and from NSW, Australia. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sherring/index3.html 5c. New/Updated Freepages by Counties, States, and Genealogical/Historical Societies To Request a Free Web Account: http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these Web pages might not be accessible yet. They are created by volunteers, so if one that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a few days or next week. http://www.rootsweb.com/~xxxxxx[accountname] * * * Note that the ~[tilde] before the Web account name is required. For example, the Georgia/South Carolina Department of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War website is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~gasuvcw/ * * * ALHN = American Local History Network DAR = Daughters of the American Revolution SUCVW = Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War SCVCW = Sons of Confederate Veterans of the Civil War UDC = United Daughters of the Confederacy WGW = WorldGenWeb U.S.A. aldibdar d'Iberville Chapter (AL) DAR alhunts Hunt's Spring Chapter (AL) DAR cofctdar Friday's Council Tree Chapter (CO) DAR flmanat2 Manatee County (FL) gasuvcw Georgia/South Carolina Department SUVCW idlgfdar Lt George Farragut Chapter (ID) DAR idwashin Washington County (ID) USGenWeb kyscoths Scott County (KY) Historical Society mesphs Stockton Springs (Maine) Historical Society mijackgs Jackson County (Michigan) Genealogical Society mitanhgs Then and Now (Michigan) Historical and Genealogical Society mnlacssm Luxembourg American Cultural Society of Southern Minnesota ncdavhgs Davie County (NC) Historical and Genealogical Society nycjtsuv Cpl. James Tanner Camp 134 (NY) SUVCW nyfulhis Fultonville (NY) History nymccscv Miss Constance Cary Camp 1913 (NY) SCVCW rlwpcgs West Pasco County (FL) Genealogical Society scrmcdar Rebecca Motte Chapter (SC) DAR tnwash Washington County (TN) ALHN txafamhp Texas African American Historic and Preservation Foundation txasjudc Albert Sidney Johnston 2060 Chapter (TX) UDC txhchudc Henry C. Hancock Chapter #2364 (TX) UDC vachcdar Cobbs Hall Chapter (VA) DAR vaopcdar Overwharton Parish Chapter (VA) DAR INTERNATIONAL espmadar Espana Chapter (Madrid, Spain) DAR nswtweed Richmond-Tweed, New South Wales, (AUS) WGW nswnorth North, New South Wales, (AUS) WGW nswmidnc Mid-North Coast, New South Wales, (AUS) WGW nswfwest Far West, New South Wales, (AUS) WGW qchcn Quebec, Haute-Cote-Nord CanGenWeb 5d. New Mailing Lists To Request a New Mailing List: http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ ------------------------------------------------------------- To find or subscribe to a mailing list, or to search archived posts to more than 30,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy mailing lists, go to http://lists.rootsweb.com/. NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS BINCI BONVILLIAN CYRIER LUBY MACKAHAN MADDING MCANEAR MCANULTY MCCLENNAN MCCOSLIN MCCUALSKY MCCULLIN MCCUTCHAN MCGALE MCHANEY MCKAHAN MCMANIMEN MCQUALSKY MCROREY MCVEIGH PAPWORTH RAEBURN RARER SEUI STEHLIN THOROUGHGOOD NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS US-VIC-HISTORY--A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in the history of Victoria, Australia. SAMOA-NEW-ZEALAND--A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in Samoa, New Zealand, and nearby islands. NEW ETHNIC OR SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS FAMILY-RECIPES--A mailing list for sharing family recipes. Anyone can share any type of recipe, whether it's been passed down from one or many generations of your family. ISFHWE--A mailing list for members of the International Association of Family History Writers and Editors to share news, information, questions, and ideas about family history writing in any form with each other. IGS--A mailing list for members of the Iowa Genealogical Society to share ideas and discuss issues. KNOX-DNA--A mailing list for sharing information regarding the specific group DNA testing that is currently being done by the descendants of those bearing the Knox surname and its variations. PANCHO-VILLA-EXPEDITION--This list is for finding U.S. soldiers who fought in the U.S. Cavalry and who were sent as part of the "Punitive Expedition of Pancho Villa 1916-1917," in the United States and Mexico. 6. You Found It Some years ago, I was looking at English census data from the northern part of Lincolnshire, looking for my Metcalf and Stamp ancestors. In either the 1841 or 1851 census returns (I don't remember which), I came across a family headed by Joseph Blow (the famous "Joe Blow?"). --Thanks to John Metcalf * * * I found this extract from a September 2008 obituary in the "Washington Post," with my emphasis added. This could have medical, and maybe religious, significance: "Oliver Madden ... is also survived by his sisters [names 4 sisters], brother [name], and the late Thomas Madden." I would love to know the current status of Thomas. --Thanks to Richard Larkin * * * Found a funny name or humorous tidbit in old records or an amusing entry in census, parish, church, or other records? Send these and other genealogy-related humor/humour items to Editor- RWR@rootsweb.com. For a description of, subscription information to, and an index of the more than 30,000 RootsWeb-hosted genealogy mailing lists go here. 7. Subscriptions, Submissions, Advertising, and Reprints ------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIPTIONS. To manage your e-mail communications (i.e., to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter or to sign up for others), visit our newsletter management center any time at: http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/ If you use a spam-filtering program, in order to receive the "RootsWeb Review" please make sure that you're allowing e-mail from rootswebreview@email.rootsweb.com. The "RootsWeb Review" is a free publication of The Generations Network, Inc., 360 West 4800 North, Provo, UT, 84604 * * * The "RootsWeb Review" does not publish or answer genealogical queries, and the editor regrets that she is unable to provide any personal research assistance or advice. "RootsWeb Review" welcomes short (500 words or less) articles, humor, stories, or letters, and reserves the right to edit all submissions. The announcement of books and products is provided as a community service and is not an endorsement in any way. All mail sent to the editor is considered to be for publication--send to: Editor-RWR@rootsweb.com and please include your full name and e-mail address in the text. * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW ADVERTISING CONTACTS. Ad Sales Worldwide: Kathryn Davidson, kdavidson@tgn.com * * * REPRINTS. Permission to reprint articles from RootsWeb Review is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, provided: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article: Previously published in RootsWeb Review: 8 October 2008, Vol. 11, No. 20. * * * *